can a closed face work??

[kekoa]

I know the subject has kind of been addressed in a few threads, but like the subject states, 'can a closed face at the top of the swing work?' I had my swing taped and its kind of shut up top. To me, it feels right. I usually have to make an agressive lower body move to square the face back up at impact.

When im hitting the ball well, it results in a nice draw.

Does anyone else do the same? I think there are a few pga pros who are also closed up top and hit straight bombs.

thanks

[r7 425]

Yes i feel that a closed face is pretty rare like you said...but the compensation for a closed face at the top..is a heck of a hip turn through the ball..Ive noticed that I have the tendancy to play a cut shot whenever the club is closed at the top...I want to ask you if your normal shot is a cut shot? Thanks

[kekoa]

Yes i feel that a closed face is pretty rare like you said...but the compensation for a closed face at the top..is a heck of a hip turn through the ball..Ive noticed that I have the tendancy to play a cut shot whenever the club is closed at the top...I want to ask you if your normal shot is a cut shot? Thanks

actually just the opposite. my normal shot is a draw. if i miss it, the ball hooks pretty bad.

what are some tips to get the club square up top? i can do it in a practice swing, but when the ball is in front of me, i close her up again.

[r7 425]

Remember this---to get the clubface square at the top make sure your wrist is parallel with your arm--

[Avid Golfer]

I know the subject has kind of been addressed in a few threads, but like the subject states, 'can a closed face at the top of the swing work?' I had my swing taped and its kind of shut up top. To me, it feels right. I usually have to make an agressive lower body move to square the face back up at impact.

Like you've found a closed club face can work if you clear the lower body pretty strongly. Tour players who had closed club faces and active lower bodies included: David Duval, Paul Azinger, and Nancy Lopez. If Fred Couples didn't cup his wrists (if he had a flat left wrist at the top) he would have a closed club face at the top as well. Impact is what really matters, as it will determine where your ball goes.

[iacas]

Remember this---to get the clubface square at the top make sure your wrist is parallel with your arm--

Huh? Your wrist is attached to your arm. Do you mean you don't want to have any bend in the wrist, so that it's not cupped or bowed? Because "parallel with your arm" doesn't make much sense to me.

Like you've found a closed club face can work if you clear the lower body pretty strongly. Tour players who had closed club faces and active lower bodies included: David Duval, Paul Azinger, and Nancy Lopez. If Fred Couples didn't cup his wrists (if he had a flat left wrist at the top) he would have a closed club face at the top as well. Impact is what really matters, as it will determine where your ball goes.

Right. Almost all of the "closed at the top" type players have a very strong clearing of the lower body. They have a strong left-hand grip (usually) and also usually play a cut shot. I believe Brett Wetterich is another - and he plays a push-cut too.

It's dangerous to try to play a draw from a closed-at-the-top position. As you've seen, they can turn into hooks REAL fast. Better to try to "hold off" the clubface and play a block-cut if you insist on that position at the top.

[BASHERBAKER69]

Brett Wetterich (as already mentioned) has a very strong grip- i looks awful though. David Duval is another and so is Paul Azinger (the best out of this bunch).

A closed clubface can work but make sure that your timing is on as there is a variety of destructive shots you can hit with this grip.

[tedd]

Tom Pernice told me that I should use a closed-face swing, since that has always been natural for me. He said that to eliminate a hook, and hit a slight fade, that I need to imagine the butt of the club entering my right-front pocket on the downswing. Of course that's not possible, but that swing thought helps prevent a hook. It's working for me, although like all swing changes it is taking some time (30 days so far), but he's for sure right about eliminating the hook; I'm much more confident in my driver now.

[undecided]

I use a closed face, i have absalutely no wrist roll at all, i have a backward wrist break, what it usually means is, is that you don't need to roll your forearms through impact, it's been the best swing change i've employed, it's stopped me from using my arms in the downswing which has resulted in a late and downward hit, the only problem i have now is that when i do sometimes get my arms involved i tend to hit a hook instead of a draw...but i'd rather live with that than a slice. I'm at the point now where i tinker and try to move back to an orthadox clubface position at the top and this for some reason caused me to swing more with my arms which causes havoc with my swing, i think it's a brain thing as opposed to a swing mechanics thing, if you're brain thinks you need to close the face on the downswing then it's easier to hit early and cast the club, if the face is closed then your brain doesn't believe you need to close the face hence allowing you to only use your hips/legs to drive the swing...whcih in turn is what all the better players do. fyi I'm a two planer so not sure how this would relate to a one planer.

[tedd]

Over the last year I've morphed into a swing that still has a bit of a closed face at the top, but now is not as closed as it used to be. It seems if I am deliberate in my backswing, and focus on "one-piece", my clubface rotates somewhat without my consciously thinking about it. Sometimes I consciously try to open and close the face during the swing, usually when I'm trying to hit it high, or trying to hit a draw.

Otherwise, I don't think about the clubface any more, and my index is (finally) dropping.

[ddalet]

Over the last year I've morphed into a swing that still has a bit of a closed face at the top, but now is not as closed as it used to be. It seems if I am deliberate in my backswing, and focus on "one-piece", my clubface rotates somewhat without my consciously thinking about it. Sometimes I consciously try to open and close the face during the swing, usually when I'm trying to hit it high, or trying to hit a draw.

for me, unconscious rotation and release of the clubhead works best. Though I consciously open the clubhead at the top when I want to hit a power fade, and close it to hit a draw. That is usually dangerous territory though.

It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as it isn't a check swing (square to square). Someone of your skill has to release the clubhead through the ball even if it happens naturally.

[sam]

I started out this season having trouble hitting a draw so I stopped opening my clubface at the top of my swing. I kind of figured it was a "quick fix" and used it because I didn't want to make drastic changes to my swing and having them go wrong in the middle of a match. Since then I have started opening the clubface back up at the top and have been much more consistent